School holidays are a great opportunity to spend quality time with your family. However, it can be challenging to find engaging activities that don’t break the bank. Here are three simple and inexpensive school holiday activities that you can enjoy at home.
Arts and Crafts
Let their creativity shine by doing some arts and crafts at home. By using materials laying around the house or that are destined for the bin, crafts can be a cost-effective and fun way to turn a few bits of trash into treasure.
No Sew Sock Puppets
This classic craft is perfect for when you have some odd or holey socks laying around, it’s also great for your kid’s imagination. Why not put on a sock puppet play with your new creations?
What you’ll need
- Old socks (use socks that are missing their partner or that are damaged)
- Googly eyes
- Yarn/wool scraps
- Felt scraps
- Hot glue gun or PVA glue
- Scissors
Method
- Cut your felt scraps to make tongue, eye and spike shapes.
- Wrap yarn/wool around your hand or scrap of cardboard, remove it from your hand or cardboard and tie it in the middle. Cut the loops of yarn to make the hair.
- Glue your features in place onto your sock.
Science Experiments
Just because it’s a break from school doesn’t mean kids can’t continue to learn and explore. Conducting science experiments at home can be a fun and engaging way to introduce children to scientific concepts. Plus, with the abundance of online resources available, there are endless possibilities for experimentation.
Egg-citing Bouncy Ball
Turn a regular chicken egg into a bouncy one! This easy science experiment teaches kids how a chemical reaction can dissolve what seems solid into something that feels like a bouncy ball!
What you’ll need
- Chicken Egg
- Glass or Jar
- White Vinegar
Method
- Get a raw egg and carefully place it into a glass or jar.
- Fill the glass with white vinegar until the egg is completely submerged.
- Leave the egg in the glass for 1-3 days. Each day check back on the egg. When the egg has started to become translucent you will know it is ready!
- Remove the egg and rinse under the tap. While rinsing the egg, gently rub the outside of the egg and the white film will come off leaving you will a translucent egg.
- Examine the egg. You’ll notice that is feels rubbery (like a bouncy ball). Then lift the egg 1-2 inches in the air, let go and watch it bounce.
Baking
Baking is a great activity for all ages as it teaches kids how to follow instructions, use measurements and use their creativity to create something that they can share. We’ve picked a recipe that is simple for most young children, and that can also be a blank canvas for their decorating skills.
Vanilla Biscuits- Makes 30 | 10mins Prep | 10mins Cook
These yummy vanilla biscuits are easy for little hands. Why not get a selection of their favourite toppings and some icing and let them decorate their biscuits their way?
Ingredients
- 180g butter, softened
- 1 cup caster sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 cups plain flour, sifted
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
Equipment
- Baking paper
- Baking tray
- Medium mixing bowl
- Wire cooling rack
- Wooden spoon
Method
- Preheat oven to 180°C
- In a medium bowl, beat butter, sugar and vanilla until light and creamy
- Add egg to the mixture and beat well
- Stir through sifted flour and baking powder, mix to form dough
- Roll two teaspoons of mixture into balls
- Place balls onto a tray lined with baking paper, flatten gently
- Bake for 10 minutes, until slightly golden around the edges. Let cool on wire rack completely before decorating
